How can I save on my cell phone bill?

[lovinit]

My cell phone bill is way. way too high. I'm looking for ways to save money on my cell phone bill -- any suggestions would be greatly appreciated?

[cypher1]

Good breakdown for prepaid options:

http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011/02/best-prepaid-data-carriers-and-plans.html

I currently use StraightTalk but not liking T-Mobile service in my area.

[SeanH]

I've been using Straight Talk since last year and have been very pleased*. Are you willing to buy your own phone? Are there services that you absolutely must have?

*My threshold for being pleased is quite low. I went from paying $54 a month (450 minutes/200 texts) to $45 a month (unlimited minutes/texts) with decent data that I've never had an issue with (and I'm on wifi most of the time anyway). I purchased the phone in cash for $360. For perspective, my wife pays ...~$110 a month for Verizon. This allowed her to purchase an iphone 4 for $100. She will absolutely be switching to Straight Talk this December.

All that aside - I spoke to a co-worker recently who purchases minutes in bundles, never uses her cell phone and has a home-phone. The definition of necessity varies person to person.

[feh]

My cell phone bill is way. way too high. I'm looking for ways to save money on my cell phone bill -- any suggestions would be greatly appreciated?

Need more info - how do you use your phone?

[Jerry91]

You will be able to reduce your cell phone bills if you take the right steps. You should use the option of WIFI when you are at work. You should also remember that any fee is negotiable. You should speak to your cell phone carrier before paying any kind of fee. Different types of discounts are offered by the lender. You should take help of these discounts to reduce your cell phone bills.

[moneysma]

It all depends on how you use your phone. I called AT&T and said I needed to lower my bill. They offered me a $10/mo text plan for 1,000 texts/mo. Since I don't go over this amount, I jumped on it. Also, I took a small data package. I make sure I am on a wifi network before I do any data-heavy downloads or surfing.

This works for me because I consistently monitor my usage both with data and texts. If you don't and go over the limit, you are going to end up paying more, which is what they want.

[debtfreeme]

discounts

Does your phone company offer discounts to people at your business or place or work? Where you volunteer?

I volunteer one day a year and get 15% off every month on my bill, 15% off purchases of accessories if I need them, 15% off specific phones.

[kalpit210]

T-Mobile

T-Mobile's new plans are phenomenal - only caveat is that you provide your own phone. You can buy a brand new phone from them, but have to pay cash or pay it in installments over 2 years (interest free). I prefer to just buy a nice used one off craigslist or amazon.

Plan breakdown:

Unlimited talk + Unlimited text + Unlimited data (500gb at high speeds, then slow speeds but still free) for $50/month. If you want 2gbs of high speed data before the speed slows down, its $60/month. Go to: t-mobile dot com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html

I have 4 lines with them, 2 with 2gbs of high speed data and 2 lines with 500 mb (default) of high speed data for only $120/month. I also have a 15% discount from work.

If you don't have discount through work, you can sign up for an account at studentrate.com and get 10% off your monthly bill. Go to: studentrate dot com/wireless/wireless.aspx

Hope that helps!
Kal

[dawnwes]

If you can get Sprint service where you live, you should look into Republic Wireless. $20/mo unlimited if you are usually in wifi range.

But it depends on what you need. Do you need more texting, more calling, or more data? Do you need a newer type of phone?

[rimirojar]

phone

My cell phone bill is way. way too high. I'm looking for ways to save money on my cell phone bill -- any suggestions would be greatly appreciated?

Some tips to save money on cell phone.

1.Check out what phone and plan best suit your needs.You can compare different carrier plans and pricing and choose the good one.

2.Avoid costly calls,Making toll-free calls on cell phones is not free. You will be charged for the minutes used.

3.Try to avoid downloads like ringtones, software, video streaming, and games use up a lot of data.Also use Wi-Fi for internet usage.

4.Voice and data plan prices change frequently, so if you've had your plan for a while, check out the cost before you renew.

5.Use smartphone calling apps like Skype,Line etc

6.Keep in mind that if you are using your cell phone outside its local area, then you will be hit with roaming charges ,which can add up really quickly. Turn off cellular data while traveling . Check with the carrier to see what kind of roaming charges there are and if you will see some even when you're traveling domestically or if you are moving to other country means get a local prepaid sim card in that country.To get a local sim card in abroad you may need to unlock your mobile .Get an unlocking service by relevant software or by an online service provider.

7.Use texting apps,if you opt for a smartphone, then you can download one of the free texting apps like WhatsApp to your phone so you will not have to pay for texts .

[danielhermann]

There are various ways in which you can reduce your phone bill. Text instead of calling. Use a prepaid plan instead of a post paid one. Pay heed to the average time you spend on each call. Negotiate to have a plan where 2-3 frequently called numbers are offered free-of-cost. Join a buddy plan where a group of 10-12 persons are offered a kind of deal to reduce call charges.

[Togeneral99]

I just switched over to Ting wireless (they rent sprints network and you only pay for the minutes texts and data you use) if you are already on Sprints wireless network then you shouldn't notice any change in coverage.

check them out ting.com/rates

[MarkInCA]

This totally depends on how much/how often and for what features you use your phone. For me, I don't use the web much, and I have a landline, so I only need something that will allow me to text and make calls, and if it has web-browsing capability for desperate times, then great.

I currently use a Tracfone prepaid phone. With a triple-minutes plan, I can buy 3,000 minutes (with roll over) and a year of airtime for $159, or basically less than $15/mo. Texts cost 0.3 minutes (incoming and outgoing), and of course phone calls are charged per minute. For what I need my phone for, it's perfect, and it saves me a lot of money over buying one of those typical plans that cost at least $50/mo.

[MarkInCA]

This totally depends on how much/how often and for what features you use your phone. For me, I don't use the web much, and I have a landline, so I only need something that will allow me to text and make calls, and if it has web-browsing capability for desperate times, then great.

I currently use a Tracfone prepaid phone. With a triple-minutes plan, I can buy 3,000 minutes (with roll over) and a year of airtime for $159, or basically less than $15/mo. Texts cost 0.3 minutes (incoming and outgoing), and of course phone calls are charged per minute. For what I need my phone for, it's perfect, and it saves me a lot of money over buying one of those typical plans that cost at least $50/mo.

[kork13]

If you can get Sprint service where you live, you should look into Republic Wireless. $20/mo unlimited if you are usually in wifi range.

But it depends on what you need. Do you need more texting, more calling, or more data? Do you need a newer type of phone?

When I return to the US in about a month, I'm planning to get a new cell phone service with Republic Wireless. For the price, it's an incredible value. Unlimited talk/text for $10/mo, or unlimited talk/text/3G for $25/mo. No ongoing contract, and it uses an excellent phone (the Moto X), which you buy outright.

I only see 3 potential negatives, but none of them really bother me too much:
- They use the Sprint network, which tends to be on the lower-end for quality & coverage. But they roam on Verizon, and it's designed for heavy WiFi calling/texting anyway... Sprint is also investing heavily in network improvements.
- The Moto X ($300 upfront) is only useable with Republic Wireless. However, by all accounts it's a fantastic phone, and assuming the service works well for me, I plan to stay with them for years. Plus, sometime over the next few months, they'll be releasing another 1-2 less expensive phones.
- It's a service that's still in its infancy & development is ongoing. They're still doing testing, there are still a few bugs with their custom-built phone software, and there's always the uncertainty of "will they succeed & survive?" .... But I'm willing to give it a go, and work alongside them, because I think this is a fantastic model for the cellular industry (for pricing, technology, and community-driven development), most especially in leveraging the world's omni-present WiFi connections. I really hope they succeed and spark a revolution in the industry.